When Kurt Meyer graduated high school in 1979, he never dreamed of writing a book. English was not one of his favorite courses, nor was it one in which he excelled.
After graduating high school, Meyer made one important decision that changed his train of thought. He decided to come to Ball State to pursue a teaching degree.
"I wanted to be a teacher," he said. "I had never really thought about writing before college. I came to Ball State with terrible writing skills and a half-hearted interest in reading.
"I firmly believe much of what I have accomplished never would have happened had I not went through the tough English department."
While attending the university from 1979-1983, Meyer struggled through English courses. Somewhere along the way, he took a liking of the subject matter.
As a result, after struggling with pronouns and adjectives for years, he received his first "A" in English as a senior.
Shortly after graduating college, he found a job teaching in the small-town environment of Middletown. He was hired to teach graphic arts, photography, and newspaper at Shenandoah High School.
After finally taking an interest in writing at college, Meyer began editing some newsletters for different organizations in his spare time.
Eventually, Meyer began writing for NUVO News Weekly out of Indianapolis. Since then, he has written several cover stories for the city's largest free publication.
His first book of fiction, titled "Stardust," was released last week from BookPartners Inc.
"Stardust" deals with the author's upbringing in small-town Indiana. It discusses what average, middle-class American society was like in the past and how different it is today.
"You have to take a car to get anywhere now," Meyer said. "Children are really isolated. They don't get a chance to interact in their environment. In small towns, it didn't use to be that way."
Set in 1893 in Noblesville, "Stardust" follows a David Henry, a man who deals with problems such as divorce, urban sprawl and the modern media.
Henry becomes involved in a series of shocking crimes that actually took place in Noblesville in the summer of 1893. Along the way he develops a romance with Mary Harrison, the daughter of a wealthy doctor. The relationship ends up getting the couple into trouble.
An attempted murder, two sex scandals, and a large-scale business swindle all occur in the town that year. The couple has to navigate around the scandals and tragedies, which hit the community.
The book is currently available at several bookstores in Pendleton and Noblesville, and at Borders Bookstore in Castleton. It is also available online at the Barnes and Noble Web site, www.barnesandnoble.com.
Kurt Meyer is now in his 14th year of teaching graphic communications, photography and newspaper at Shenandoah High School.
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